


Of the Fifth of December and Burnt Gingerbread Houses

by Thegreenofyoureyes



Series: Christmas Fics 2015 [5]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: (how do those keep happening???), Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Funny, I think anyway, M/M, Meet-Cute, Sex Mentions, vomit mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 05:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5363936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenofyoureyes/pseuds/Thegreenofyoureyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton knows that something is wrong when he walks out into the hallway of his apartment complex. Traditionally, hallways, especially public hallways, are never meant to smell like burnt cinnamon and sadness. It's just not polite. He was close to ignoring it and continuing on to his planned grocery shopping, when he heard the soft sobs coming from some apartment down the hallway. He was an older brother, by nature, and sobs of any sort just wouldn't do. </p><p>Or, Ashton helps not-quite-stranger Luke when he burns a gingerbread house, and budding romance ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of the Fifth of December and Burnt Gingerbread Houses

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5! Thanks @Tanniri on Tumblr for existing

Ashton knows that something is wrong when he walks out into the hallway of his apartment complex. Traditionally, hallways, especially public hallways, are never meant to smell like burnt cinnamon and sadness. It's just not polite. He was close to ignoring it and continuing on to his planned grocery shopping, when he heard the soft sobs coming from some apartment down the hallway. He was an older brother, by nature, and sobs of any sort just wouldn't do. 

What Ashton wasn't expecting, though perhaps he should have been, was the burning smell to get worse as he walked towards the muffled cries. When he reached the door both unpleasantries seemed to be coming from, a door with a cute wreath, he was almost reluctant to knock. He really did have to go buy food, after all. Of course, he knocked in the end. 

“J-just a second,” a shaky, albeit sweet, voice said, as Ashton heard heavy footfalls coming closer to the door. 

Ashton was not expecting what he saw when the door finally opened. 

“Oh fuck,” the unfortunately familiar man said, “uh, what're you doing here? And what was your name again?”

“Ashton, and I live just down the hall. I heard you crying when I came out. What're you doing here?”

“Moved here about three weeks ago. God I knew this place looked familiar.”

“Luke, right?” Luke nodded in the affirmative “mind if I ask why you were crying?”

“Oh um. Sad movie?” It was a question, not an answer. 

“Right. And the burning?”

“Popcorn?”

“Wanna try the truth this time?”

Luke sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair 

“I was baking a g-ginger bread house to make with my nephew. And I've burnt it beyond recognition. God, he's gonna hate me,” and Luke was crying before Ashton even knew what to do with him. 

“No, love, he won't hate you. Maybe you could just buy a kit? I'm sure he wouldn't mind.”

“No! No, I want him to be able to eat it and those things are awful. No I have to make it, and I can't. And now my nephew is gonna hate me!”

Ashton sighed, and looked up at the crying boy. He knew that, realistically, there was a 90% chance he would regret this. He never had much self control. 

“Look. I can bake, yeah? I'm not great, but I've never, like, charred anything. You want some help?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, actually. Completely. Why?”

“I just… I've had more than my fair share of one night stands, and even the ones I didn't end up throwing up on would never have done this. It's nice. You're nice.”

“Yeah, yeah. Do you have any ingredients left?” Ashton replied, stepping past the blond boy and into his small, festive apartment. 

“Yeah, I bought extra cause I was hoping to make, like, ginger snaps afterwards,” Luke replied, looking a bit cheerier. 

“That's an entirely different recipe, I think. God, it smells awful. Could you open some windows?”

Luke nodded hurriedly, shuffling around. Ashton walked into the blue kitchen and began surveying the damage. The offending cookie pieces, if they could even be called that, we're sitting in the sink, smoking in spite of their damp status. Ashton could do this. Totally.

Luke came back into the kitchen, looking adorably embarrassed. God, Ashton wished they'd at least gotten to fuck before earning this awkward post-one night stand atmosphere. At least there wouldn't be any false pretenses of their attraction. 

“Kay, so, you've got enough for a house, I think, looking at this recipe, but there may not be any people. What time is your nephew coming?”

“Bout three hours? I wanted time to let it cool.”

“Alright, well, let's get to work then. You want to tell me why you've got the oven set for 550 degrees when the recipe says 250?”

“Cause I didn't read it that well, I guess? I dunno. Sorry.”

“Don't apologize love, just be careful, yeah? Could you measure out 4 cups of flour for me?”

“Uh, are you sure? What if I mess it up?”

“You won't. Four cups. It's not hard. Here, put it in a small bowl and look at the recipe. See how much salt and baking whatever it needs, then put that in as well.”

Luke did as he was told, looking oddly content for a man who had just been crying over cookies. Ashton figured it didn't matter, though. Luke’s happy face was a better face than his sad one. It was a good face in general though. 

“So,” Luke said “how've you been since, you know.”

“Since you threw up on me while your dick was inside my mouth? Oh, fine. The usual. Going to work, hiking, I've actually gotten back into swimming recently. Not to mention all the guys I've blown, though none of them have puked on me,” Ashton was kidding. He'd gotten over being mad, and slightly traumatized, almost immediately when Michael couldn't stop laughing as Ashton came to him crying, telling him the story. 

“Look, I'm really really sorry about that. Like really. I've got a sensitive stomach, and you pushed me back onto your couch and I just… I dunno. I'm sorry, though.”

“Honestly, I was more upset that you left,” Ashton said. It was true, too. 

“Wait, really? I puked on you, Ashton! And your couch! How could you be mad that I left after that?” Luke replied, setting down the salt he was holding and looking at Ashton directly. 

“Cause you're hot, Luke. And you're funny, and you seemed sweet, and, in spite of all of the evidence, you seem smart. Vomit washes off, you know? Like sure, it wasn't erotic, at least not for me- god I hope that's not a kink- but it wasn't a big deal, and I liked you. It sucked when you ran out and left me alone, to clean up your puke no less.”

“Shit. Yeah. Sorry. For what it's worth, you seem all those things too, you know.”

“So what about you,” Ashton said, vehemently fighting the awkward air that was setting in “what've you been doing?”

“Well, I've been working, spending time with my family. Burning cookies, crying. No, it's been good. Finally got to move out of my parent's house, things have been good.”

“I'm glad, really. So is there any reason cookies can bring you to tears?”

“Uh, well. My nephew already isn't quite my biggest fan, if you know what I mean, and I'd really rather this went well. Cause I love him, and I love my brother, and I'd really like this to work out. And I also stayed up waaay too late last night watching Jessica Jones, so I'm tired too. I dunno.”

“Your nephew doesn't hate you.”

“How can you know?”

“You're un-hateable. I should know. You puked on me, and I don't hate you. It's just not possible.”

Ashton was so, so strangely happy at the genuine smile that brought to Luke’s whole face. He was cute when he was happy. And everyone deserved to be happy, but maybe Luke deserved it especially. 

The dough was close to being ready to cut and bake, so they worked in relative silence until then. It looked good. Luke looked positively shiny, and even Ashton felt a bit proud. Maybe a bit like this was how it was supposed to be: how their botched one night stand was supposed to go. It was a scary thought, perhaps, but a nice one. 

Luke took charge of cutting the dough happily, and Ashton couldn't help but watch him. His shirt, a red and green flannel, was annoyingly festive for the 5th of December, and annoyingly cute. A smile crept onto his face as he watched Luke work, pushing hard onto the dough and getting progressively happier with everything that went right. 

They had given the oven time to cool off before getting it back up to the right temperature, so it was all ready to go. Which meant, in about 15 minutes, Ashton had to leave. He didn't want to, though. 

With the cookies in the oven, Ashton and Luke opted to sit and relax on Luke’s couch. It was a little too small for the both of them, but neither seemed inclined to complain. It was a little cold, with the windows open, so cuddling was simply logical. Totally. 

“So,” Ashton said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them “why is your nephew coming? And any particular reason you wanted to make a gingerbread house?”

“Uh, I promised him one a few weeks ago. He's been bothering me about it every time I've seen him since, so I'd be a horrible uncle if I didn't, you know? And he's coming up cause his parents are going out to a grownup dinner with his grandma. Sunday dinner and all. And they needed someone to look after the kid, and I love him, so of course I volunteered. Even if he doesn't like me that much.”

“That's swee- wait, Sunday dinner? Luke, it's not Saturday.”

“Fuck, is it? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Really sure. I don't work Sunday's and I definitely had work today.”

“Ashton, I am so so sorry. This didn't even have be done today. I don't need it until tomorrow.”

“Are you serious? I was going out to get food when I came over! I need to go shopping Luke!”

“Shit, do you want-- I can like, pay, if you want? For your time?”

“No, of course I don't want that. I just-- pay more attention to things, yeah? Instructions, your nausea level, the date? It's not a big deal, though. Honestly, his has been fun. I'm just being a bitch because I'm hungry.”

“Want me to order pizza? I mean, you don't have to, of course. But we can if you want to. Honestly, I don't want you to leave yet.”

“I don't want to leave, I don't think. So yeah, let's do that.”

“And, would you want to come help me with tomorrow, with the gingerbread house? If it all goes wrong, it'd be nice if my nephew had someone to blame other than just me. Plus, you'll probably make it look beautiful, or however the fuck gingerbread houses are supposed to look, which would be awesome. I mean, if you're not busy.”

“I'm not, actually. I'd honestly just been planning on sitting around. Maybe going for a run. Yeah, I'll come down. What time?”

“Well, he's coming at 6, and we’re having dinner. He only eats pb&j’s so that's what we’ll be having. I get it if you don't want to be there for that. Although, you're welcome anytime. Earlier, even.”

“I'll be there at three, then. We can watch some bad music videos or something,” Ashton said with a wink. 

“Oh my god, you remember that?”

“Oh, how could I forget two hours of getting progressively drunker while watching Bye Bye Bye three times in a row. One of my best memories, honestly.”

“Mine too, actually,” Luke said. And wow, his lips were pink, and close. Ashton really *really* wanted to kiss them. So he did. 

It was nice, and soft. Not at all drunken, or rough. And Luke tasted like the ginger dough he had been eating, instead of fireball, which made it all the nicer. It was warm, too. Made Ashton warmer. However, all good things must pass. 

The timer went off, and the boys reluctantly pulled apart. The house looked perfect. It was just the color, texture, smell like it was supposed to. They hugged in celebration, before exchanging phone numbers, and returning to Luke’s living room and sitting back down on the couch, somehow closer. 

The living room smelled like perfect gingerbread, increasing Ashton’s hunger greatly. They're not allowed to eat, which makes it worse. The pizza arrives shortly though, and they end up talking late into the night. Ashton did go home. It was too early to be sleeping over, which was strange on so many levels, but he did have a real phone number for Luke and a light heart. And a date the next day, sort of. It was a good feeling. A festive feeling, almost. Maybe he wouldn't be single on Christmas this year. Which would be made even better because Ashton actually liked Luke, like a lot. December 5th was pretty awesome.

**Author's Note:**

> No more SAT so expect these at a human hour for a bit!


End file.
